Blogs

In November this year, I’m running my first marathon and I’m dedicating my run to midwives throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Marathon runner, Abel Kirui and Elizabeth Mphale, an Amref Health Africa-trained midwife As the Executive Director of Amref Health Africa, I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand the difference...

Originally published in The Huffington Post June 19, 2015. Ma Soumah (standing) survived Ebola. Now she shares her story with others in Guinea to help prevent the spread of the deadly disease. (Photo: Amref Health Africa) Ma Soumah, mother of six in For cariah, a district in Guinea at...

May 23, 2015 - International Day to End Obstetric Fistula We often talk about high maternal mortality rates when we advocate for better maternal care in Africa, but for every woman who dies in pregnancy or childbirth, there are twenty to thirty more who suffer debilitating complications like obstetric...

Originally published on The Huffington Post on April 14, 2015. Elizabeth Ndunge Mphale, 55-yr-old Kenyan midwife, has delivered more than 1,000 babies in her 33-year career. Every two hours a woman in Kenya dies during pregnancy or childbirth. That means 6,000 to 8,000 women die each year during childbirth,...

The final day of our journey in Tanzania and the most anticipated. When we arrived only five days earlier, we were told that some scheduling changes needed to be made for security purposes, mainly for this day. This is our introduction to the Tatulu tribe. I wake up and...